


Life with the Belivets

by SirBelivaird



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: Abby is the cool aunt, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Barely any Harge, Carol and Therese are great parents, F/F, Rindy is nine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:59:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19664113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirBelivaird/pseuds/SirBelivaird
Summary: A collection of modern AUs about the Belivet family





	1. The Xbox

**Author's Note:**

> I ended up getting writer's block while writing my other story (which you should totally check out) and I haven't updated it in a week, so I have to apologize for that. There will be a slight hiatus for that so I can write a few chapters before publishing them. But in the meantime, I'll be uploading these small oneshots I though of while writing "High School is Impossible, Especially with Her".
> 
> These stories aren't connected to the other story.

It was the first day of December and the Belivet family was starting to put up the Christmas decorations. Therese noticed that something was off about Rindy’s attitude, but she decided to ignore it for now because she knew that her adoptive daughter would come clean eventually.

“Mom, can I get an Xbox One for Christmas?” eleven year old Rindy asked, making sure to poke out her bottom lip and stare into her mother’s blue eyes with her puppy eyes.

“I don’t know about that, sweet pea. You’ll have to ask Santa for something like that.” Carol looked at Therese hoping for some help, but received a shrug in response.

“Santa. Really, Mom? I haven’t believed in him since I was eight.” Rindy rolled her eyes.

“Oh, that’s right. I’m sorry, it completely slipped my mind that a young _woman_ such as yourself doesn’t believe in Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick.” Carol and Therese chuckled, knowing that their Rindy hated the term “young woman” since she wasn’t even close to being one.

“MOM!” The preteen picked up a small foam ornament and threw it at Carol, sending Therese into a fit of giggles.

“Nerinda! I cannot believe you! Now there’s red glitter in my hair. It’ll take years to wash it out.” She her fingers through her blonde curls, desperately trying to get as much glitter out as possible.

Therese finally calmed down and added, “Well, after that I’d be surprised if Santa even showed up.”

Carol threw her head back and laughed while Rindy huffed and went back to placing ornaments on the tree in silence.

**\-----**

It was finally Christmas day and Carol and Therese were finally asleep. They both hoped that they could sleep in a little after staying up until the wee hours of the morning wrapping presents for their loved ones and preparing some food for the small dinner the next night. Boy, were they wrong. At 7:00 on the dot, the sound of wood hitting metal filled the large Madison Avenue apartment. Therese rolled over and sighed into her wife’s shoulder.

“Moms!  _ Bang bang. _ Wake up!  _ Bang bang. _ It’s Christmas!”  _ Bang bang. _ Rindy repeatedly yelled over the banging sounds.

Therese was the one to open the master bedroom’s door and stare down Rindy with a look that could kill.

“For the love of God, my darling daughter. It’s 7:00 in the morning. The neighbors are going to send complaints.” Carol rubbed her head and leaned against the doorframe. 

“I was going to open the door and jump on you guys like last year, but I don’t want to be scarred for life again.” Rindy smirked. Therese looked at her slipper clad feet and blushed.

“Enough about last Christmas. If you’re going to wake us up like this, I expect to see you open your presents!” Carol ushered her small family into the living room.

For gifts, Rindy got a pair of wireless headphones and a $50 Amazon gift card from Carol, a small digital camera from Therese, a $50 Target gift card from her Aunt Abby, and a Roku stick from her father. Carol got a bottle of a new brand of perfume from Therese and a book full of original drawings from her daughter. Therese got a GoPro from Carol and a homemade photo album from Rindy. 

“Hey, I’ll be right back. Can you start on breakfast, honey? I need to go take care of something.” Therese winked at her wife before retreating to her bedroom.

“Of course, darling.” Carol momentarily forgot what she meant but soon came to the realization after Rindy stared at her. 

“Mom, are you okay?” Rindy set her new baby blue pair of Beats on the carpet and joined her mother on the sofa.

“Oh, of course, sweetheart. I was just trying to remember what I can make for breakfast that doesn’t end up burnt, salty, or in flames.” Carol stood up, Rindy in tow, and made her way to the kitchen to pull out the ingredients for pancakes.

Therese went into the master bedroom’s walk-in closet and picked up the large tan tote bag. Inside was a small flatscreen, an Xbox One, and a $100 Xbox gift card. The bag was a little on the heavy side, so that made sneaking it past the kitchen a bit difficult. Rindy almost noticed her until she dropped a measuring cup on the floor. Carol snickered at her bumbling down the hallway. It took Therese a total of eleven minutes to successfully set up the console to the new flatscreen. When she finished, she joined her family in the kitchen.

“I hope you’re alright with blueberry pancakes; it’s the only breakfast food I can cook without it bursting into flames.” Carol smiled and kissed Therese’s temple, handing her a plate. She sat at the table next to Rindy with a hint of mischievousness in her eyes.

“Rindy, did you brush your teeth and before you woke up the entire building? If you didn’t you better go and do it now.” Therese pretended to scold, getting a guilty look from her daughter. 

Rindy excused herself and made her way to her bedroom. After a few seconds of silence, the two women heard a loud gasp followed by an ear-piercing ‘oh my god’. Seconds later, the thumping of feet got louder and louder down the hall and Rindy, with a gigantic smile on her face, appeared from around the corner.

“OH MY GOD! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!” she squealed, pulling her moms into a tight hug.

  
  
  



	2. Therese's Secret

It’s been a month since Christmas and the Belivet household has finally returned to normal. Carol and Therese spent their Saturday taking down the decorations while Rindy was spending the night at a friend’s house. They were too busy with their respective jobs to take the time to pack up the decorations, so the Christmas tree stayed up longer than it needed to. It was already the new year, and February started the next week. After everything was packed away and sent to the storage room, the couple stood together in the living room, staring at the now empty corner.

“I’m going to miss those decorations.” Carol pondered, wrapping her hands around her wife’s waist.

“We could’ve just left them up all year. That way, we wouldn’t have to haul everything down to the basement in four elevator trips.” Therese chuckled, feeling Carol’s lips on her temple.

“I’m going out in a bit to get dinner. Any special requests?”

“I could go for a  _ burger _ .” Therese turned to meet Carol’s annoyed gaze.

“Darling, you’re really going to send me to New Jersey to get a cheeseburger?”

Therese giggled, “Well…..maybe. After the work we did today, I could go for a-”

“Double cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, ketchup, and two helpings of special sauce.” The blonde finished and moved towards the coat rack and slid her arms through her black winter coat.

“You know me so well.” Therese gushed, her wife smirking and rolling her eyes.

“The things I do because I love you.” Carol shook her head and exited the apartment.

Therese waited a few seconds to make sure that her wife wouldn’t come back inside in the event that she forgot something. After hearing the elevator beep a second time, she darted to hallway closet. She dug through her old coat’s pockets until she found the familiar plastic neon green case, shaking it gently to confirm the disc’s presence. Therese hurried to her daughter’s room and turned on the Xbox with a determined grin.

\-----

_ An hour later... _

“Darling, I’m home!” Carol called out. Nothing came in response.“Darling? Therese, are you here?”

She placed the greasy bag from her wife’s favorite burger place on the kitchen counter before heading to their bedroom. Therese was probably asleep. When she walked down the dark hallway, Carol noticed light pouring out from under her daughter’s door. Confused and worried, she went into the closet and pulled out Rindy’s old softball bat, holding it at her side. When Carol slightly pushed the door open, she was shocked at what she saw.

“Therese Belivet! What on Earth are you doing?” Carol turned the lights on, startling the brunette.

“Oh, um, hey honey.” Therese uttered, glancing back at the flatscreen to make sure that the game was paused. “I thought you’d be out longer.”

“Surprisingly, there wasn’t much traffic.” Carol noticed the subject change and frowned slightly. “How long have you been playing on that thing? What kind of game even is that? It better not be one of Rindy’s.” She ran her hands through her straightened hair, starting to worry herself.

“Nope. It’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and it’s mine.” the photographer confessed and looked at the carpeted floor.

“Is this what you do when we’re not here?” Carol raised her eyebrows.

“Yes.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“Since the beginning of the year.” Therese shyly smiled when she heard Carol gasp.

“Oh my goodness! Why didn’t we just hook it up to the TV in the living room?”

“You were the one who insisted on Rindy having her own so she can have her privacy.” the brunette quoted.

Carol rolled her eyes. “You can continue if you want, but your burger is getting colder by the second.”

Therese’s eyes widened. “Thank you so much! I’ll be out after I finish this mission.”

Carol leaned down to place her lips on her wife’s before rolling her eyes again and going back into the kitchen.


	3. The Missing Flash Drive

“Therese, honey, are you still awake?” Carol yawned and entered the living room shortly after 1:30am. The older woman had gotten up to use the bathroom when she noticed light pouring in under the bedroom door. She rubbed her eyes and stared at her young wife frantically pacing around the living room running her hands through the crevices of one of the sofas. “Angel, what in the world are you doing at this ungodly hour?”

“I can’t find it,” Therese grunted, turning her attention back to the kitchen table. “I’m never going to find it.”

“You're never going to find what?”

“I’m screwed!” 

“For the love of God, darling, what are you looking for?” Carol raised her voice slightly, finally getting her wife’s attention.

“My flash drive!” Therese exclaimed, “Can you help me look for it? It’s green and it has a piece of masking tape with my initials on it.”

“Of course.” 

Carol made her way into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. She took a sip and moved over to the kitchen table and started to move around some papers.

“When was the last time you saw the flash drive?” the blonde inquired, scanning Therese’s rough drafts.

“Well, I had it with me at my desk, and I ended up lending it to Dannie for a few hours so he could reread and revise some of the articles I wrote…” Therese slipped into thought.

“You don’t suppose that he has it? Carol placed her empty glass on the table.

“I know for a fact that he doesn’t have it because he gave it back to me an hour before I left and he told me that he didn’t have it again when I called him fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh,” Carol gasped.  _ What possessed her to call that poor man in the middle of the night? _ “Well then, I guess we’ll just have to keep looking.” 

After a few seconds, Carol’s eyes wandered and then widened at the small green rectangle poking out of the side of Therese’s laptop. She smirked and shook her head.

“I’ve found it!” 

“You did? Where is it?” Therese questioned, her eyes wider than before

“Look at your computer.”

“Oh. My. God.” The brunette’s hand met her forehead with a smack. “I’m such a fool.”

“No you’re not! Don’t say such a thing! It’s one in the morning and you’ve been stressing over something that’s been in its place for the last few hours. Come to bed. You have to be at work early tomorrow.” Carol pleaded. She held out her hand.

“Alright.” Therese yawned and shut down her computer. She stood up and took her wife’s hand as the couple went into their bedroom to hold each other in their arms as they fall fast asleep.

  
  



	4. Story Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched the movie again recently so here we are with Carol and Therese telling Rindy the (modern version) story of how they got back together.

_ April 17th, 2019 _

Therese sat in the back of an Uber, scrolling through Instagram to pass the time. Today was the fourth anniversary of her and Carol’s reunion, after a lengthy few months apart with no contact. The two women decided three years ago that they would both take the day off to celebrate. She had gone out to the Times building to pick up a box of art supplies that she then had to take to her studio. The brunette raised her eyebrow when she saw a notification pop up at the top of her screen.

_ carol_belivet has tagged you in a post. _

She tapped on it and her heart immediately melted. It was the selfie that Carol took after they left the Oak Room together with the caption, “Four years ago today, I reunited with the love of my life. I love you to Waterloo and back, my angel, flung out of space.” She double tapped it and commented “I love you” with a few heart emojis. It only took a few more minutes in the Uber before Therese reached the Madison Avenue apartment building. She thanked her driver and ran into the building. 

“Welcome home, darl-” Carol was cut off by Therese’s lips. They kissed each other passionately for a few moments before the photographer pulled back to embrace her wife.

“Carol, I love you so much. You mean everything to me and I don’t know what I would do without you, my love.” Therese expressed, holding Carol close and giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

“Words truly cannot describe how much I love you, dearest.” Carol moved her hand to lift Therese’s chin so their lips could meet.

“Ew, you guys are so gross.” Rindy cringed as she shut the door to the apartment.

“Oh hush, Rindy. This will be you one day.” Therese joked, receiving an eye roll from her adoptive daughter.

“What are you two doing home? It’s Wednesday, and I’m usually here alone.” Rindy placed her backpack in its place, taking out her notebooks. On any other day, Rindy would come home after school to an empty apartment. She was still too young to stay home alone for a long period of time, but they allowed it because Therese was usually home a few minutes after Rindy and the nine year old was extremely responsible.

“It’s our anniversary, sweet pea.” Carol slipped her arm around the brunette’s waist and kissed her temple.

“Of what? I thought your wedding anniversary was in July.”

“It’s been four years since we got back together.” Therese chimed in.

“Oh.”

“Would you like to hear the story?” Carol looked at her wife for approval and the younger woman nodded.

“Sure, anything to keep me from doing my homework immediately.” Rindy chuckled.

“Alright, so let’s take it back to 2015…”

_ April 17th, 2015 _

_ It was an extra busy day at the Times. Everyone in the photo editing room raced around trying to edit pictures for three huge articles that had to be released on the website within the hour. Therese stood over two of her colleagues, discussing the differences between the three pictures of President Obama on the computer screen that she had previously taken.  _

_ “Belivet.” _

_ Therese was caught slightly off guard by the receptionist calling out her name. The young man had a small white envelope in his hand. She walked over to him, confused. _

_ “This was hand delivered a few minutes ago.” He handed her the envelope.  _

_ “Thank you.” the photographer nodded and briskly walked back to her original position, pocketing the envelope. By the looks of it, the small rectangle came from Carol Aird. Her fancy cursive letters graced the front of it. Therese decided to open it later because right now getting a picture of the President on the article was more important. _

_ It took a total of forty eight minutes to finalize which picture went with the article. After the ordeal came to an end, Therese excused herself and went to her desk, stopping by the break room for a cup of coffee on the way. When she sat down and opened the note, her jaw dropped. It read: _

_ Dearest Therese, _

_ Would you possibly be free to meet me for a drink this evening? The Starbucks inside of the Ritz Tower Hotel, 6:30pm _

_ I understand if you cannot. _

_ -Carol _

_ Therese knew her coworkers had to have thought that she looked insane for sitting at her desk with wide eyes and her jaw touching the floor for at least five minutes. She read over the note at least fifty times. She knew this meeting would be painful, but she knew she had to go. _

_ \--- _

_ Therese was there at 6:25, but she didn’t know that Carol had gotten there fifteen minutes before and was strolling through the small boutique across the way. She noticed the brunette sit down at her table with a small latte. The younger woman had gotten her hair styled differently and wore a pantsuit that oozed confidence. Carol glanced at her watch. The blonde would wait and enter the Starbucks at 6:30 on the dot. _

_ Therese heard the clicking of heels and turned around to meet her lover’s stormy blue eyes. Carol’s eyes widened a little as she sat across from her. The blonde’s eyes were a little puffy and red, as if she had been crying. _

_ “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come or not. Thank you for doing so. It was nice of you to come and see me.” Carol broke the slightly awkward silence. _

_ “Don’t say that.” Therese lightly snapped, taking a sip of her drink. _

_ Carol backed down a bit and stared at the table before looking back up. “Do you hate me, Therese?” _

_ The brunette was shocked by the question, but didn’t show too much emotion. “No, of course not. Why would I hate you?” _

_ “I left you alone with my best friend halfway across the country without any explanation, except for that note. After all that, I thought that you would.” _

_ The two women stared at each other for a few seconds before Therese looked down at her drink and took another sip. _

_ “So, Abby tells me that you’re working at the Times now. You’re thriving and I’m extremely proud of your progress.” _

_ Therese looked up and smiled with a closed mouth before diverting her eyes to the other patrons in the Starbucks. _

_ Carol kept staring at the brunette, silently cursing herself even more for screwing up one of the best relationships she’s ever had. _

_ “Carol, you’re staring.” Therese informed, a hint of a smirk on her face. _

_ “Oh.” _

_ They sit in silence for a few minutes before Carol speaks up again. _

_ “Harge and I are selling the house and I have an apartment on Madison Avenue. Believe it or not, I also got a job as an interior designer at a furniture house on Fourth.” _

_ “That’s fantastic.” Therese gave a little smile. She’s starting to feel more comfortable. “How’s Rindy doing? Have you seen her recently?” _

_ “Oh, my special girl is doing alright. I’ve seen her once or twice at the lawyer’s office. She’s going to be living with Harge for the time being.” Carol looked at her left hand desperately wishing she had her old wedding band to play with.  _

_ Therese looked at her sympathetically. “Oh, Carol, I-” _

_ “It’s alright, really. It was my decision.” Carol forced herself to smile. “Anyways, my apartment is fairly huge and I was hoping that you might want to come and live with me, but I guess you wouldn’t after what happened, but would you?” _

_ “Not right now. I’ll need time.” Therese shook her head and Carol let out a light sigh.  _

_ The blonde looked defeated but then looked back up at Therese. “I’m meeting a few of my colleagues from the furniture store at the Oak Room around 9:00 if you’d like to join us.” _

_ Therese sipped on her latte and stared back at Carol.  _

_ “Well, that’s that.” The blonde sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _

_ “I love you.” Carol confessed, her voice cracking with emotion.  _

_ Therese was speechless and all she could do was sit there and look at the blonde as if she had turned into an angelic creature. Her thoughts were once again paused by someone calling out her name. _

_ “Therese Belivet, is that you?” A man in a collared shirt tucked into khaki pants with a jacket draped over his arm walked over to their table. “Well, whaddaya know! I knew I recognized you. I haven’t seen you in-” _

_ “Months, I know.” Therese finished his sentence. “Jack, I want you to meet Carol Aird.” _

_ He stuck out his hand and the blonde woman shook it. She had a pleasant smile on her face. _

_ “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Aird.” _

_ “Likewise.” Carol retreats and pulls out her cell phone, grimacing at some missed call notifications. _

_ “Hey, well, Ted Gray is meeting me in the lobby soon and we’re heading over to Phil’s party. Are you going?” Jack questioned. _

_ “Oh, of course. I planned on getting there a little later.” The brunette glanced at Carol. _

_ “You should go ahead, Therese.” Carol stood up and collected her things. _

_ Jack looked at the older woman. “Are you coming along with us?” _

_ “No, I have to make a few calls before dinner. I’ll see you around.”  _

_ “Are you sure?” Therese had a spark of hope in her eyes. _

_ Carol nodded. She walked over to the two young adults. _

_ “Do you mind giving me a ride there?” Therese looked back at Jack. He nodded with a grin on his face. _

_ “You two have a fun night.” Carol placed her hand on Therese’s shoulder and gave it a few squeezes. “It was nice meeting you Jack.” She stuck out her hand and the young man shook it. _

_ Carol made eye contact one last time with Therese before walking out of the Starbucks. The photographer looked down, internally screaming at herself for letting the lover of her life walk away like that. _

_ “I’ll be back in a few.” Jack walked out into the lobby and pulled out his cell phone to make a few calls. _

_ Therese was beyond devastated. She got up and quickly walked to the restroom. Luckily no one was in there. She loudly cursed at herself in the mirror before splashing water on her face. She still had the chance to see Carol again, but she wasn’t sure if she could do it. _

_ \--- _

_ The party was just like any typical young adult party. There were people and beer bottles galore. Richard was there with his new girlfriend, and he gave Therese a dirty look when they made eye contact. After a few minutes, she found herself staring out of the window, silently wishing that Carol’s black Audi sedan would pull up at any second to save her from this limbo. In the reflection of the window, Therese saw Genevieve. The brunette knew that the other woman had eyes on her for the longest time, but she never felt anything for her like she did for Carol. Yes, Genevieve was very attractive, but the blonde beauty that owned her heart looked a hundred times better. _

_ Therese looked at her iPhone and it read 9:17 and there was a text from Carol. She opened it to find the address of the Oak Room. If she left now, she would be able to reunite with Carol. After a few seconds of debating with herself, she made the decision to leave and go back to her lover. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Genevieve sauntering over to her. _

_ “Hello, Therese.” Genevieve greeted seductively. Her speech was slightly slurred. _

_ “Hey, Gen.” Therese quickly waved, slipping around the intoxicated woman. _

_ “Where are you slipping off to?” Gen grabbed Therese’s forearm, and the latter shrugged it off. _

_ “I’m going to get my woman back.” Therese confidently announced, silently rejoicing when Genevieve backed off. _

_ She slipped out of the apartment full of drunk and high young adults to go the Oak Room and get Carol back. _

_ When she arrived at the building, she stormed up the stairs and through the line of people waiting. Therese walked past a waiter and he turned around. _

_ “Ma’am, you have to wait in line to be seated.”  _

_ The young woman ignored him and kept walking. She reached the dining room and scanned the area. It didn’t take too long for her to hear that low, husky laugh. Sure enough, when she turned to the left, her eyes were met with Carol’s head thrown back in laughter. Therese smiled to herself and walked over to the table. Carol’s icy blue eyes met her emerald ones when she was a few steps away. Carol got up and pulled out a chair for Therese, introducing her to her colleagues. The brunette and the blonde sat down together. Carol looked over at Therese and placed her hand on the photographer’s thigh, squeezing it and leaning over. _

_ “I knew you’d come.” Carol whispered into Therese’s ear. _

_ For the first time in months, Therese had a genuine smile on her face. “I love you, too.” _

“.....and the rest is history.” Therese finished the story, catching Carol’s affectionate gaze.

“Aw, that’s so romantic! What happened after you two met at the Oak Room?” Rindy asked.

“Uh, well, I think it’s time you get started on your homework, little one.” Carol coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck and stood up. Therese chuckled at Rindy’s confusion, and smiled to herself when she silently looked back on how her meeting with Carol in that Starbucks on April 17th, 2015, changed her life forever.


	5. Abigail Gerhard, Babysitter Extraordinaire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Continuation of the last chapter)
> 
> Abby watches Rindy while Carol and Therese go out to the Oak Room to celebrate their anniversary.

“Momma, you look beautiful!” Rindy hugged Therese’s waist tightly.

“Rindy, baby, if you hug me any tighter, I won’t live to see what your mother is wearing.” the photographer chuckled, looking down at Rindy’s apologetic smile.

The couple decided to dress in separate rooms in order to surprise each other. They were going to their annual dinner at the Oak Room to celebrate their anniversary. Therese was wearing a black dress with patterns and sequins all over. The door to the guest room opened and Carol gracefully stepped out. She was wearing a white blazer with a black button up tucked into black slacks under it. The jacket was one of Therese’s favorites, so she internally cheered when she saw it on the love of her life.

“Therese, darling,” Carol smiled smugly, “You’re staring.”

“I know.” Therese stated.

“Ooh Mom you look stunning!” Rindy ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist.

“Thank you, sweetie.” Carol ran her slender fingers through her daughter’s dirty blond hair.

The small family stood around and chatted for a few moments before being interrupted by the static coming from the intercom next to the door.

“Mrs. Belivet, Abigail Gerhard has arrived. I’m sending her up.”

Therese walked over and placed her thumb on the microphone button. “Alright. Thank you, Robert.”

No less than a minute later, Abby was inside of the apartment.

“My, don’t you two look fabulous!” Abby pulled the couple into a hug. 

Rindy pretended to pout and looked at Abby with her signature puppy eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh, Rindy, baby, you know you’re always the most fabulous girl in any room!” the older brunette smiled, lifting the nine year in air and spinning around with her. Rindy giggled.

“Now, our reservation is at 8:00, so we’ll most likely be home around 10:00 or 10:30. Rindy has to be in bed by 9:30, or 9:45 at the latest.” Therese informed, checking her Apple watch.

“There’s no negotiating on the bedtime, sweet pea.” Carol looked at her daughter’s defeated state and softly chuckled to herself.

“Rindy has already eaten, and if she gets hungry again, there’s a bag of chips in the cabinet.” Therese added.

“Alright, so bedtime is 9:30, chips in the cabinet. Got it.” Abby repeated, receiving nods of approval from her goddaughter’s mothers. “Go ahead and get going before you’re late, you nitwits.”

The couple burst out in laughter, and Abby stared at them with a mischievous glare. She smirked before opening the door and placing one of her hands on each woman’s shoulder.

“I said, it’s time for you to get going!” Abby gathered up the little strength she had and began shoving them out the door.

“Bye Rindy. Love you, sweetheart!” Carol and Therese, still in a fit of giggles, called out as Abby literally pushed them both out of the apartment. 

She closed the door and turned around to see her goddaughter make a b-line to the living room. Abby sat down and checked her phone, grateful for the quiet atmosphere. Her current redheaded girlfriend had texted her. She was going to meet up with her after she left Carol's apartment. As soon as she began tapping away on her phone, calming music filled the entire apartment, with loud clicking sounds throughout it. Shortly after, Rindy appeared with two obscure white objects in her hands.

“Aunt Abby, do you want to play Minecraft with me?” the nine year old politely asked.

“Minecraft? What on earth is that?” The woman stared at the Xbox controllers, puzzled.

“It’s a game where you build stuff, or survive with absolutely nothing and fight off monsters.” 

Rindy placed one of the Xbox controllers on the kitchen table. Abby, still confused by the concept of the game, reluctantly picked up the controller and followed the fourth grader into the living room. 

The images on the screen baffled her, to the point where she felt like she was in a fantasy world. Out of every video game Abby Gerhard has ever seen (which wasn’t many), Minecraft took the cake for being the most obscure. She joined Rindy on the carpet, her back against the front of the couch.

“Please explain to me what I’m looking at.” Abby raised her eyebrows.

Rindy giggled. “We spawned in the plains biome and there are a bunch of animals everywhere. There are a few cows and sheep over on that hill.” She used the controller to move her character over to the animals. “If you push the left joystick, you’ll walk forward.”

Abby looked down at her controller and followed the girl’s instructions. She tapped a few more buttons before moving the right joystick around, changing the camera angles.

“Are there any circles in this game?” Abby’s character walked forward until it fell into a cave. “Damn it!”

“Hey! Language!” Rindy exclaimed, her eyes permanently glued to the television.

Abby apologized and Rindy ran into the kitchen to grab Therese’s swear jar. The nine year old got her godmother to hand over a dollar.

“Here, since you gave up a dollar to Momma’s jar, I’ll teach you how to use the controller.”

Rindy shifted so she was sitting in between Abby’s open legs. She held her controller out and instructed her on how each control works. After half an hour of constantly dying from falling, monster attacks, and explosions, Abby finally got the hang of it. She was proud of herself, and for once, she knew that she needed to get Carol and Therese out of the house more.

\----

It was 10:45 when Carol and Therese arrived home. When they entered the apartment, they found all of the lights on and Abby sitting in the middle of the living room floor. Rindy was fast asleep against Abby’s body. The woman had her eyes glued to the television screen, still caught up in her Minecraft world.

“I swear, what is up with me finding the women in my life playing video games every time I come home?” Carol asked, Abby whipping her head around to meet the couple’s gaze.

“What? Rinds got me hooked on this oddly addicting block game.” she confessed.

Therese shook her head and rolled her eyes before walking over and picking up Rindy. The little girl began to stir, so she placed a kiss on her forehead. Carol smiled at her wife before turning her attention back to her best friend.

“Thank you for watching her, Abigail.”

“It was my pleasure. I love that girl to pieces.” Abby smiled and grabbed her jacket. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a certain redhead waiting on a street corner out there for me.”

“Oh really?” Carol raised an eyebrow and opened the apartment door.

“Oh yes. The ladies  _ love  _ Abigail Gerhard, Babysitter Extraordinaire, especially the redheads. Bye now." Abby sauntered out of the apartment and down the hallway to the elevators.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kind comments! 
> 
> If you have any oneshots that you'd like to see (that aren't over the T rating), don't hesitate to leave them in the comments.


	6. Mistaken Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite family of three has an interesting experience at the grocery store.

It was finally Saturday, and the refrigerator and pantry were nearly empty, which meant that it was time for a trip to the grocery store. Therese and Rindy both loved going since they could put whatever they wanted in the cart and Carol wouldn’t say no, even though she had a budget. The blonde was in a particularly good mood that day, which meant that the limit to the unnecessary items in the cart increased tremendously.

“Rindy, darling, go ahead and pick out your favorite cereals and meet us on the next aisle.” Carol glanced at her daughter before turning to scan the shelves of sliced bread.

“Okay!” Therese looked up from organizing the shopping cart and watched as Rindy turned the corner.

The nine year old was already thinking about what to get. Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cheerios were popular, so obviously she had to get those two. She also thought about getting a box of Frosted Flakes but decided against it because her mother scolded her the last time she got them because they never got eaten. When she approached the collection of Lucky Charms, there were two ladies standing in front of the boxes, silently deciding on what to get.

“Excuse me.” Rindy politely said, slipping her short arm in front of the women and grabbing a family sized box.

The two women backed up immediately, looking as if they had seen a ghost. Rindy looked at them in confusion before turning on her heel to meet her mothers on the next aisle. On her way there, multiple people stared at her the same way. She looked down at her feet while she walked.

“Hey Rinds, when you put the cereal boxes in the basket, can you put them with the granola bars?” Therese asked. Her eyes met Rindy’s troubled ones. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Momma, is there something wrong with me?” Rindy shyly questioned, causing both of her mothers to stop dead in their tracks.

“Nerinda, there is nothing wrong with you, baby.” Carol caressed the girl’s cheek. "You are perfect and no one can tell you otherwise."

“Where did all of this come from?” Therese placed her hand on Rindy’s shoulder.

“People were looking at me like they’ve seen a ghost or something.” Rindy looked down at her shoes.

Therese looked at Carol for any sort of reasonable explanation, but the latter was just as confused.

“The other shoppers must be jealous of your outfit, sweetheart. They might not be used to seeing a fourth grader in designer clothing.” Therese shrugged. That was the only logical answer she could come up with. “How about you just stay with us, okay? I’ll make sure that your mother doesn’t forget any of the important sections of the store.” Rindy smiled and hugged the brunette.

\---

An hour had passed and Carol placed the pint of cookies and cream on top of the box of frozen waffles, her physical sign for “nothing else is going in the basket”. When the family approached the checkout lines, more and more people started to crowd around them. A young couple at the front of the growing crowd slowly moved toward them.

The young woman spoke first. “Uh…M-Ms. Blanchett, c-c-can we take a s-selfie with you?” she stuttered, pointing at her phone.

“Um, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not Cate Blanchett. I do look similar to her, though. Don't be ashamed, I get that request a lot.” Carol politely explained, getting a loud, collective gasp from every shopper.

Therese loaded their items onto the conveyor belt, barely containing her laughter. She’s been married to Carol for years and was used to people mistaking her wife for the Oscar winner, but this had to of been the biggest amount of people that were fooled. Rindy watched the entire situation unfold, coming to the realization of why they stared at her earlier.

“Did they really think that Mom was famous?” The fourth grader placed a bottle of lemonade onto the conveyor belt.

“Yeah. This happens a lot whenever we go out, but it’s never been this extreme.” Therese explained.

Carol sauntered over to their checkout lane, slipping behind her wife to start the transaction.

“That was insane.” the blonde sighed, picking up a pack of gum to hand to the cashier.


	7. Marion (2015)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therese catches Rindy watching a movie she shouldn't be watching at her age

“Do we have any popcorn?” Rindy desperately searched the pantry.

“Yes, there’s some next to the granola bars on the second shelf. Why are you making popcorn this late, sweet pea?” Carol questioned, removing the last plate from the dishwasher.

“I’m going to watch a movie on Netflix. I’m still deciding on either  _ Coco  _ or  _ Spy Kids _ .”

“That sounds lovely.” The blonde smiled. “I know it’s the weekend, but don’t stay up too late.”

“No promises!” Rindy giggled as she turned on the microwave.

“I’m off to bed. Turn off the lights when you’re done, would you? Momma won’t be home until after ten. Goodnight, darling.” Carol placed a gentle peck on her daughter’s cheek before making her way to the bedroom.

“Okay! Night, Mom!” Rindy called out.

The nine year old waited a few extra seconds to make sure that her mother wasn’t going to leave her room again before taking her popcorn out of the microwave, turning the lights off, and making a mad, but quiet, dash to her room. Her plans for this Saturday night involved watching a movie on Netflix, but not one that she mentioned to her mom. Rindy was going to watch  _ Marion.  _ All she knew about the movie was that it was about two women and that “it’s basically your mothers’ story, but more dramatic and ancient” as her Aunt Abby put it. Turning on her TV, she typed in the name of the movie and pressed play. 

\----

Therese arrived home to a dark apartment at 10:28pm. She dropped her photography equipment in its usual spot before making her way to the refrigerator to grab a glass of water. On her way to her bedroom, she made her usual late night detour to her adoptive daughter’s room. The brunette knocked and opened the door to see Rindy frantically searching for the remote. Therese looked up at the screen in disbelief. There were two women. Both nude, laying in a bed, their limbs entwined. 

“Nerinda! Why are you watching that? You’re NINE and this movie is rated R!” Therese scolded a little above a whisper.

“I heard Aunt Abby talking about it so-” 

“Of course.” Therese shook her head. She turned to close the door. “You’re lucky I’m not Mom, because she would’ve killed you before you had a chance to explain yourself. Scoot over.”

Rindy was confused. One minute, her younger mother was scolding her, and the next she asked her to move so she could sit. “What?”

“Move over, sweetheart. This is my favorite movie.” Therese joined Rindy on the floor and grabbed a handful of popcorn.

For the next hour, the two females sat on the floor in a comfortable silence- Rindy silently absorbing the effect of the movie and Therese mentally replaying a mixture of those moments in the movie and her life when she and Carol were apart. When the movie ended, the nine year old looked up to her mother, tears streaming down her face. Therese shifted to hold Rindy in her arms.

“I take it you chose  _ Coco _ ?” Carol teased, leaning against Rindy’s door frame.

Therese simply smirked and shook her head. Carol's puzzled expression had turned into one of thought. Once she came to a mental conclusion, she returned to her bedroom. When they heard the door close, Rindy immediately turned to Therese to ask questions.

“How long were Sandrine and Marion apart? Why did Whitman get mad at Marion for inviting Sandrine over? Why does he hate Elizabeth? She’s Marion’s best friend!” Therese chuckled lightly at the nine year old’s questions.

“How about we finish this discussion of  _ Marion _ in the morning at breakfast since your mom has to go out with Aunt Abby at seven. I don’t think she’d be pleased to hear you talk about this movie.” Therese stood up and headed to Rindy’s bedroom door. “Goodnight, Rin-rin.”

“Night, Momma.”

\---

When Therese entered her bedroom, she found her wife staring at her phone is disbelief.

“She…..she...she watched... _ MARION _ ?!?!” Carol’s mouth dropped.

“I take it you’re looking at her Netflix history.” Therese closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Yes I am. How did she even find out about this? It was Abby, wasn’t it?”

“As it usually is.”

“I figured.” Carol turned her phone off and placed it on her nightstand. “I’ll have to bring it up when I see her tomorrow. She’s my best friend, but she’s a horrible influence on my daughter sometimes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has over 1300 hits! Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Marion is just this universe's version of Carol (2015)
> 
> If you want to, you can follow me on Twitter @belivairdsson and you can DM me any ideas you have for a oneshot


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